Plata tallied three goals in 26 appearances for the Reds in 2011, but after
playing in 10 games for TFC last term, he was loaned back to his former club,
LDU Quito, after the arrival of manager Paul Mariner.

"While Plata is a player our fans enjoyed watching, he did not figure in our
plans moving forward," TFC president and general manager Kevin Payne said in a
club statement. "It made sense for our club to move him for value as we can
continue to build the team we want."

Plata appeared in 13 games for Quito during his loan spell, scoring one goal,
and he joins a Salt Lake side that has recently parted ways with forwards
Paulo Jr., Emiliano Bonfigli and Fabian Espindola.

"We are happy to add a fast, young forward with MLS experience," Real Salt
Lake general manager Garth Lagerwey said in a club statement. "We believe that
Joao can become an impactful member of our team as we continue to work to
restock our forward group."